Reverence
by Itachilova101
Summary: Sakura's memories have returned and she and Itachi are now living together in Konoha. But when things spiral out of control once again, she will be forced to confront her biggest fear, losing the man she loves a third time. ItaSaku SEQUEL TO REMINISCENCE!
1. Plans For War

A/N: Welcome to Reverence, everybody, the third and last installment of this series! And no, that is not subject to change. This is the last one and I can say that with confidence because I've run out of bad guys to incriminate n.n; Well, enjoy Reverence, everybody!

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Dearest Hokage-sama:

_I do hope that you realize just how foolish a mistake it is to house those two former Akatsuki members in your village. If you haven't quite noticed, which is possible since the people of your village seem to enjoy clouding their own minds with talks of friendship and trust, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi are criminals. _

_Haruno may have been your spy, but she didn't seem all too inclined to return to your village once we found her out, so she must not have much attachment to it. I'd imagine somebody with no emotional or physical ties to their place of residence would have no problems with watching it be destroyed, wouldn't you?_

_Now, I will say this very nicely, something rather challenging what with my patience hastily reaching its limits; return Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi to me and Konoha will remain standing. I'm sure you'd value the lives of your villagers more than you would two people who don't even want to be there, am I right? Then deliver them to me, I'll have one of my fine Konoha spies tell me your decision._

_But, for now, I'll leave you with the knowledge that, if you do not comply and deliver to me that which is rightfully mine to kill, it will be war and your fine little village will pay the price for that mistake._

_Taw-Taw for now!_

_Members of the Akatsuki_

* * *

Tsunade sighed, sitting back and placing the letter on the desk. She bit her lower lip for a few moments, drumming her fingers on the desk unconsciously. "On one hand," she said after a long silence, "It would be rather stupid to allow a war to start over two people."

Shizune nodded, petting Ton-Ton's head as she listened attentively.

"But, on the other, the Akatsuki is just going to want more and more and more and sooner or later we won't be able to give them what they want in order to avert a war. If we were to hand over Sakura and Itachi, it would only appease the Akatsuki for a short while and then they'll be after Naruto again."

"That's right," Shizune agreed with a nod, "So, in a way, why should we kiss their rear ends only to have a war on our doorstep anyway?"

"Exactly," Tsunade said with a nod. "I may not care much to have Itachi back in our village, but Sasuke and Sakura seem to be quite attached to him and I doubt they'd be of much use if we were to exterminate him. Sakura would probably go on another rampage for revenge again."

Again, Shizune nodded in agreement.

The blond pursed her lips and ceased the drumming of her fingers as she went back to the issues at hand. She murmured mostly to herself, "'Fine Konoha spies', huh?" She nodded her agreement to whatever inner thoughts she'd had and then turned amber eyes to her apprentice, "Alright, Shizune, alert all of the shinobi of an impending war and then send me as many able-bodied Genin as you can manage on such short notice. We're going to give the Akatsuki our answer in a big way."

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A/N: Uh-ohs, sounds like one of those crazy plots that always backfires in comedy movies! ... Did I say too much?

Anyway, I'm sorry for the shortness, but it _is_ a prologue and I thought it would be more mysterious to end it there! ;D


	2. The Uchiha Family

A/N: Well, here's chapter one. So, enjoy!

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Sakura woke to the glorious smell of bacon and the angelic sounds of grease popping and scampering feet.

She let out a sleepy yawn and stretched, sitting up to find that Itachi wasn't in the bed with her. She smiled softly and swung her feet off the bed, only to have them land in her slippers. She smirked. Were those two planning something?

She put on her slippers and donned her housecoat, looking into a mirror to admire the shiny pink locks that framed her face. Oh, how wonderful it was to be herself again! She giggled with good cheer and left the room, following those heavenly smells of breakfast into the kitchen to find exactly what she had expected.

She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised by the mess. Sasuke and Itachi had only been reunited for a few weeks and so they probably weren't very coordinated with one other. But she leaned on the doorframe and watched with amusement as the two men rushed around the kitchen, tending to one thing or another, making an even bigger mess than was there before.

She had to laugh at them. Oh, her boys were trying to spoil her... even though she'd probably end up being the one to clean up the mess left behind. A good housemaid did not an Uchiha make.

At the sound of her laughter, the two men turned from the food they were preparing to gawk at her.

"You were just discharged last night!" Sasuke exclaimed with shock, apparently trying to stir the uncooked eggs he'd cracked while staring at her. Needless to say, not much egg stayed in the bowl.

"You should be in bed," Itachi added, dropping the cooking chopsticks into the sizzling frying pan and rushing toward her to usher her back into bed.

"Itachi!" Sasuke shouted, rushing to the pan to grab the sticks, "You're going to burn the house down! Ow! That's hot!"

Itachi chose to ignore his younger brother and Sakura's hysterical laughter as he took her by the shoulders, spun her in the direction of their bedroom and nudged her along. "Off to bed with you. You need to rest and relax. Tsunade-sama said that you can't stress yourself too much or you might relapse."

"I highly doubt walking around the house will cause amnesia, Itachi," she replied between laughs, "How much stress could it cause? Well, besides the stress of knowing a tornado went through our kitchen and I slept right through it."

She heard Itachi chuckle as he urged her into the room and then helped her into the bed, taking her slippers off her feet and putting them back neatly on the floor. He tickled one of her feet until Sakura cursed at him and pulled the covers over herself.

He nodded with satisfaction and then said, "You will be enjoying breakfast in bed. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my bacon."

"Oh, was _that_ what the black stuff in the pan was?" she queried teasingly, only to receive a feather-light pinch to her bum through the blanket. She giggled and blew him a kiss before closing her eyes in dismissal.

The sound of a knock at the Uchiha mansion's door, however, made her open them and she tried to focus on the murmuring voices. Unfortunately, she couldn't make them out. All she could register was the sound of the door closing again and footsteps walking away.

"Looks like it's already begun," she heard Itachi say to Sasuke in the kitchen, "Tsunade-sama's already sending out messages to the shinobi about a war."

She heard Sasuke tut at the news and then nothing else was said about the matter.

Not long afterward, Sasuke and Itachi came in carrying three plates filled with food, three sets of chopsticks and balancing a tray with a pot of tea and three cups.

Sakura rolled her eyes and sat up so that her boys could sit on the bed, too. She took the plate offered to her and immediately dug in. This was the best food she'd had in a long time, char marks or no char marks. She really had to bring up the issue of tasteless hospital food to Tsunade one day.

"So," Sasuke said amiably, "When are you two going to start restoring the Uchiha clan?"

At that, both Itachi and Sakura choked on whatever morsel they'd had in their mouths at the moment. "What!" they both exclaimed in unison, much to Sasuke's amusement.

"Well, I don't have a girlfriend yet and I don't much like the idea of a cheap fling just for some kids, so it's up to you guys for now."

Sakura quickly shoved more food into her mouth as an excuse not to answer and Itachi simply cleared his throat, as though that was the cue to dismiss the subject promptly. Apparently, that was a very good cue because the subject was immediately forgotten.

The three sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, eating their breakfasts, until Sakura brought up the news she'd overheard. "So, the Akatsuki has finally contacted the village?"

"What do you mean, 'finally'?" Sasuke scoffed, "We've only been back here two weeks, which would be three for the Akatsuki with the mission to retrieve you. The Akatsuki certainly isn't wasting any time."

"Of course not," Itachi replied with a shrug, "It's not in Pein's nature to wait when the opportunity is upon him. He has been trying to get a hold of us for over a year now; I doubt he'd want to wait another one."

"I only met Pein twice, but I developed an immediate dislike for him—"

"You mean an immediate fear," Itachi corrected, pointing his chopsticks at her accusingly, receiving a punch in the arm for his troubles. "Hey, there's no reason to be ashamed of it, lots of people are scared of him."

Sakura glowered at the teasing glint in her lover's eyes and said, "Anyway, it'll be nice to finally take him down."

Itachi and Sasuke both blinked in confusion with almost identical looks of shock on their face, but they quickly twisted their faces back into passivity and went back to their meals. They would tell her later. They'd rather not be punched with a mouthful of food, and then choke and die as a result of their foolishness.

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A/N: That would be a pretty foolish thing to do, ne?


	3. The Plan Is Revealed

A/N: A wonderful turnout so far! Thank you, reviewers! I love you all! *cookies for all*

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The knock at the door that sent Sakura's and Itachi's lives spinning out of control all over again came at five-thirty in the morning. It was a normal knock, not loud and forceful, proclaiming the knocker's urgency, but it wasn't quiet and reluctant either.

Itachi was the one to answer the door, but Sakura and Sasuke were right behind, their curiosity getting the best of them. And there, on the doorstep of the Uchiha mansion, stood a Chuunin, holding a scroll in one hand.

"Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke and Haruno Sakura?" the Chuunin asked, giving a quick bow.

"Yes," Sasuke answered warily, pushing in front of his brother. This wasn't the first time they'd had somebody come by and voice their opinions on Itachi and Sakura's return. "Can I help you with something?

The Chuunin held out the scroll for the three to read. "Summons from Hokage Tower. Tsunade-sama wishes an audience with the three of you in regards to a very important mission."

Sasuke's eyes quickly skimmed over the contents of the scroll and then handed it over to Itachi who did the same. Apparently, Tsunade wanted the three of them to play a role in the fight against Akatsuki.

Itachi reluctantly handed the scroll over to Sakura and sighed, wondering what Tsunade was thinking. Sending Sakura out to fight? Wasn't she the one to tell them not to stress her out too much?

"Understood," Sakura said with a grim nod, but Itachi couldn't miss the excited gleam in her emerald eyes. "We'll go now." And, after the Chuunin gave a quick nod and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, she headed off toward Hokage Tower, the two Uchiha brothers following behind very reluctantly.

* * *

"I've already spread the word to every shinobi in the village," Tsunade stated once the three shinobi seated themselves before her, "Anybody who could possibly be a spy will surely tell the Akatsuki of our plans for war. I've also sent Genin to all of the hidden villages, asking for their assistance. Those who agree have been informed to spread the word to all of their shinobi, as well."

"Shouldn't we be a little more discreet about this?" Sasuke asked with no shortage of concern, "You know, keep everything quiet and then attack without warning?"

"Yes, we probably should," Tsunade answered with a nod of agreement, "And that's what the Akatsuki will think, also. They'll be expecting a secret attack out of the blue and, I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling particularly compelled to oblige them."

"Pein will be furious when he receives word of this," Itachi surmised, "Which I'm guessing is your goal?"

The blond nodded. "Exactly. He wants you and Sakura and this will show him that we will stop at nothing to keep the both of you here."

"What would you like us to do?" Sakura asked, wasting no time.

Tsunade sent her an impatient look, but moved on to the point of the meeting. She turned to Itachi and said, "Itachi, you will be the captain of the ANBU squads based at the home front. The Akatsuki will, of course, utilize their spies here, so we'll need shinobi here to take them out when and if they attack. Also, knowing the Akatsuki, I'd imagine that they will find some way around the shinobi on the battlefront, so you and your squads will be useful then.

"On top of that task, you will also be in charge of briefing all of the shinobi about the Akatsuki, any information you find pertinent."

"Right," Itachi replied grimly.

"Of course, time is of the essence, so we'll have to start immediately."

"Okay."

Then Tsunade turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, you and your squad will be one of the groups under Itachi's command. Your particular squad will be in charge of keeping the Akatsuki and any allies they may have from infiltrating our border."

"Right," Sasuke agreed with a nod.

Tsunade's professional expression turned grim as she turned to the last person in her presence. "Sakura—"

"Tsunade-sama," Itachi quickly cut in, ignoring the warning glare Sakura sent his way, "You may not care about what I think, but I would much prefer it if Sakura stayed out of this battle. Her state of mind is much too weak to withstand B-rank missions, you said, let alone war. I'm afraid that, if you were to send her out to fight, she might relapse into her amnesia."

"Well," Tsunade began as Sakura turned an even harsher glare Itachi's way, "You're right, I _don't_ care what you think, but I had already thought this over. As the leader and caretaker of this village's people, I can't in my right mind send a shinobi out to battle when she is not psychologically fit to go. That would only forfeit her life and burden her comrades."

Sakura's jaw dropped. "But Shishou—"

Tsunade cut her off by saying, "So, she will act as one of our village's medic-nin, healing any of the wounded civillians _inside_ the village."

"But I want to help fight the Akatsuki!"

"I understand you have a score to settle, Sakura, but you must remember the cost of seeking revenge. You almost lost everything last time, do you really want to take that risk again and die for your bruised ego?"

"But Itachi is—"

"Invaluable as a shinobi," the blond Hokage interrupted firmly, giving her student no room for any more arguments, "As you are as a medic."

Sakura stared at her shishou contemptuously for a few moments before she huffed, storming out of the room.

"I'll go after her," Sasuke said, following after her.

"Itachi," Tsunade said when the elder Uchiha tried to stand, also, "I'd like a word with you."

Itachi sat back down and waited.

"I agreed to trust Sakura and Sasuke and keep you alive. I even allowed you to assist in this war. However, I am keeping you on the home front only because I don't know if I can trust you enough to leave the surrounding area of our village. If you dare to betray us, I will ignore both Sasuke's and Sakura's feelings and I _will_ kill you."

Itachi nodded grimly. "I understand."

She waved a dismissive hand and he stood to follow after Sakura. She was more likely than not angry at him for telling Tsunade not to let her fight. But what did she expect? She had asked him to stay with her and he intended to keep that promise. Of course he wouldn't want her to get hurt.

He sighed as he descended the stairs of Hokage Tower, rushing down them two at a time. If he knew the woman he loved as well as he was sure he did, this would not be an enjoyable argument.

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A/N: And we all know Itachi loves enjoyable arguments. You know, the ones that end with some make-up nookie? Itachi looooooves that! XD


	4. The Akatsuki Resistance

A/N: Sorry for the slow update. I've been busy and whatnot... and plus I've been talking off-and-on with a sweet girl who plans to translate my story, Savior, into Portugese so that others can read it! XD it's the first time anybody has ever asked me to allow them to do such a thing, so I'm probably overly-flattered, but I'm just so excited!

Annnnd... yeah... on with the chappy!

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"Sakura," Sasuke called, catching up to her. He had intended to slow his pace once he finally caught her, but it seemed that she was practicing for the 100 meter dash, so he had to keep up the sprint as he stated, "They're just looking out for your own good, you know."

"Save it," she replied, her voice a dangerously low growl, "I'm a big girl, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"We're well aware of that," they both heard somebody remark dryly from behind and they both turned to see Itachi catching up, his hands in his pants pockets and a look of lazy impassivity on his face. How could he look so calm when he was going out to a death sentence without her there to help him?

"I'll uh... leave you two alone," Sasuke said, backing away from the explosive energy between the two, "I'll see you guys at home, okay?" And, without waiting for an answer, the younger Uchiha took off at full speed, leaving the two to sort things out.

"I'm not a child, Itachi," Sakura said angrily, "I held my own against Akasuna no Sasori, so why can't I fight against other members, too?"

"I'm sure you would be a very valuable weapon against them," Itachi agreed softly.

"Then why are you leaving me behind?" she snapped, "What about your promise?"

"I'm hardly leaving you behind, Sakura," he corrected dryly, "Tsunade doesn't trust me enough to allow me to go too far away from the village. I'll be a ten minute run from you if I were to use my chakra."

"And what happened to dying at each other's sides?"

"I'm going out to fight so we don't _have_ to die!"

"And what if you get hurt?" she asked, tears of something between fear and rage welling in her eyes, "How am I supposed to help you if I'm away from you? I'll be stuck in this village, wrapping up sprains and cuts as if nothing is going on while you're out there fighting. You and I both know the medics will be stationed away from the action, so how are they supposed to know if your hurt, let alone get there on time?"

The look on Itachi's face softened as the tears rolled down Sakura's cheeks and he stepped forward so he could wipe the tears away. He then pulled her into his arms and whispered, "I won't let myself die. You and I are going to be together, I can promise you that. I mean, we've gotten through everything else the world has thrown at us so far, haven't we?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. "I really hope so."

* * *

"It seems they've chosen war," Konan said with an annoyed huff, "The Hokage isn't willing to give Haruno and Uchiha up without a fight, it seems."

Pein didn't show any acknowledgement that his partner had spoken. Somehow, that scared Konan more than the violent rages she was used to. Then, he grunted a "Hm" in response.

"There's more to it, though," she added, "We've been getting several reports from spies in different villages, saying that Konoha Genin have been visiting their village leaders and then, no more than forty-eight hours later, news was being spread throughout the village of their participation in the war between Konoha and Akatsuki."

"... Their participation?"

Konan nodded. "Yes. Konoha is recruiting entire villages to help fight."

"Which villages?" She recognized that icy tone and she felt almost relieved. He was still his normal explosive self, but... that was where the relief ended.

She flipped through the sheaf of papers in her hand, listing off, "Kiri, Suna, Ame, Iwa, Kusa and, of course, Konoha."

"The five Great Nations plus one," Pein murmured to himself, still standing in place, not moving an inch. Then, in one swift motion, he jerked a fist into the air and slammed it onto the table, the surface crumbling into splinters from the impact. "The bastards."

Konan sighed and asked, "So, we're giving up then?"

"What the hell made you think that?!"

"Well, with all of the Konoha shinobi, that must be a couple hundred, and then if the other villages were to send ten shinobi at the minimum to help, that's—let's estimate it to be about three hundred at the barest of minimums. That's an average of thirty-eight shinobi per Akatsuki member all attacking at once. There's no way our men can handle that much."

"Does it look like I care?! So, they want a war, huh?" he roared, whirling around and storming toward the door. If Konan hadn't jumped out of the way just in time, he would have run her right over and not looked back. "Prepare the members!" he barked as he stalked down the hall, not looking over his shoulder to see if Konan was paying attention, "If it's a war they want, then a war is what they'll get!"

Konan nodded with a martyred sigh. "Yes, sir." When he was out of earshot, she muttered, "What am I, his secretary?"

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A/N: Close enough XD Pein is ANGRY! O.O


	5. The Lesson Begins

A/N: I'm not very proud of this chapter. This one took me forever mainly because I had no idea where I should go with it and, to me, it seems as though not much in the way of plot goes on in it. But if you guys like it, then I'm happy!

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And so preparations began. Every day the shinobi helping to fight the Akatsuki met in Hokage Tower's auditorium where Itachi filled them in on what they would need to know.

But, of course, not many of the villagers felt anything but contempt toward the formerly rogue Uchiha and so went there only because of Tsunade's orders. They listened and committed everything to memory, but that didn't stop them from questioning his loyalty every chance they got.

"Why are you helping us anyway? Is this some plot you've got going on, giving us false information so the Akatsuki will win?"

"Of course not," Itachi replied, not even looking up.

"I'll bet he's playing double spy!"

"You're wrong."

"What? You mean, like, giving us Akatsuki's information and giving Akatsuki our information? No way, Hokage-sama wouldn't trust him enough to give him any solid info about our village. not in a million years."

"Oh, that's true. Maybe he's here to attack us from the inside?"

"Ooh, that makes sense."

"Enough!" Sakura exclaimed, standing from her seat and turning on the speakers, "Itachi is only here to help you, so you could damn well accept it gracefully!"

"That doesn't mean much coming from the one who kidnapped the Kyuubi to turn him in to the Akatsuki. For all we know, you could be a spy, too."

Naruto, who had been conveniently sitting beside the speaker, reached over and smacked him upside the head. "I thought we clarified that you guys don't know squat about what happened then?"

"How could you justify something like that? Don't tell me you guys went and got eloped or something!"

"So, what does that make Terrorist Uchiha over there, the fling on the side?"

At that, Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Alright, everybody, outside." When nobody moved, he barked, "Now!"

At the sound of the elder Uchiha's impatience, everybody stood, rushed out of the auditorium and waited outside for Itachi to join them. When he did, he walked through the doors, his posture relaxed, and his expression lazy.

He walked forward until he was out of the tower's shadow and smirked at the people standing before him. "Anybody who would like to try to punch me can go right ahead."

"Uh... what?" one of the big mouths from earlier asked, his brow knitting together with confusion.

"You heard correct. You can come up here and you can try to punch me. Don't let anybody stop you if you want to. In fact, I hereby order you to. Come on up here."

Losing his shock, the man smirked and walked forward, cracking his knuckles. "I'm gonna enjoy this." Once he was close enough, he jerked an arm back and then pushed it forward, aiming for Itachi's face. Then, before anybody but Itachi could figure out what had happened, the guy was on his stomach, his face shoved into the ground, Itachi on top of him with the arm he had used to try and punch the elder Uchiha pulled behind his back in a way that looked rather painful.

Itachi looked up, his Sharingan glinting venomously in the sunlight, and he smirked dangerously. "Anybody else?"

Everybody took a step back to show that they would rather not meet their maker.

Itachi nodded. "Thought not." He stood up and reached a hand to the man he'd made an example of, which he gratefully accepted. Itachi helped him up and then turned to the others. "You all need me."

Nobody dared deny it.

He raised his voice so that he could be heard by all as he clarified to them, "Sakura and I do not have to be here. There are many places that we could go, but we chose to come here because it is with all of you that we can finally defeat the Akatsuki one and for all. Yes, I had once been a part of Akatsuki, but for the wrong reasons. The same goes for Sakura. But the truth remains that the Akatsuki is out there and they are planning to attack. The only question left to be answered is whether or not you are going to do anything about it."

"O-Of course we will," the man that had just been made an example of answered, stammering around his words.

Itachi nodded. "Good. I am the only person in this entire village who has information on the members of Akatsuki, their techniques and the weaknesses behind their techniques. In short, I can tell you exactly how to defeat your opponent in this battle.

"Now, let us start with the first lesson and, since we're outside, I guess we can start the fun part." He inactivated his Sharingan and went back to his lazy composure. "Have you heard the saying, 'One shinobi's weakness is another shinobi's strength'?"

Everybody shook their head.

"That's good, because I just made it up." He chuckled and explained, "It means just what it says. Every shinobi has a weakness. It's the job of the other shinobi to find out what that weakness is and use it to their advantage. And so, one shinobi's weakness is another shinobi's strength."

Silence. Silence. Silence. "Point being...?"

The smirk returned and he whispered conspiratorially, "I'm going to give you all the juicy details on the Akatsuki's weaknesses. I've met every single member of the Akatsuki and I've seen their jutsu with my Sharingan. That means I've seen the way they work, how much chakra they use up, how powerful they are and, most importantly, their flaws.

"Ready for some very intense training, people? Because, I don't know about you, but I've got a little score to settle. Wanna pay somebody back for nearly making me lose my girl." His eyes immediately connected with Sakura's even though she was only there to observe and he smirked.

She smiled and nodded approvingly. Perhaps he would be able to win the trust of the villagers.

* * *

A/N: Please bear with me here, people!


	6. Return To Me

A/N: Okay, here's the deal: I was going to update tomorrow, but then I remembered something! I'm celebrating my eighteenth birthday tomorrow and the only way to properly celebrate being of legal drinking age is to drink... a lot. So, I will be too busy getting drunk to update tomorrow! n.n;

So, here it is! My birthday present to you! ... Weird, isn't it? The birthday-girl giving out the gifts! Anyway, why don't we consider your guys' gift to me a review! So, please review and it'll be an even better birthday! XD

* * *

The day was coming much too soon for Sakura, but she knew that there would be no avoiding it. Gaara and twenty of his strongest jounin had shown up in Konoha along with the other village leaders and their own shinobi. This was only a reminder that Itachi was going to be leaving her very soon.

"I love you," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"And I you."

"So, then... you have to absolutely promise me that you will come back alive. No matter what it takes. You have to return to me."

"I..." He paused, wrapping his arms tighter around the woman he loved and burying his face in her shoulder. He closed his eyes, clenching them tight, trying to block out the possibility of not being able to return after this battle. He let in a wavering breath and whispered, "I... I promise." He regretted the words the moment they passed his lips. Because he couldn't keep out the thoughts telling him that he could quite possibly break that promise.

And so he decided. He was going to, once again, take things into his own hands. He raised his head and pressed his lips to Sakura's, allowing his hands to meet behind her back. Slowly, trying to make sure that Sakura didn't feel his hands moving, he performed the hand seals for a jutsu he had copied a long time ago and, when he was finished, he whispered, "I love you".

Sakura went limp in his arms and he wasted no time in getting her into the bed and covering her up, making it look like she was asleep instead of unconscious.

He would be leaving that night, but Sakura would not be awake to see him off. The thought made him said, but he knew it was for the best. It _was_ for the best. He may have been doing something that could quite possibly anger Sakura to the point of hating him for real this time, but it was for the best. It was for the best because it would ensure her safety should he not make it back.

He sighed as he turned away from the love of his life and left the room, closing the door behind himself. He leaned against the door for a moment, stealing himself and then pushed off, walking down the hall to where his bag was packed.

"Itachi?" he heard Sasuke ask and he froze, trying to rearrange his expression so that he didn't look so sad. Then again, he was probably expected to be sad. But still, he couldn't turn to face the man behind him out of fear of the younger Uchiha catching a glimpse of just how much pain he was in. "Where's Sakura? I kind of figured you two would be inseparable until we left."

"She's, um," he answered quietly, picking up his bag, "She's sleeping. She's really tired and I don't think she really wants me to go. She's probably just avoiding me, so I suggest you leave her alone." He was surprised by how hard it was to lie to his brother now.

"Okay," Sasuke agreed hesitantly. "Well, Tsunade says that she doesn't want Naruto involved in this battle, so he'll be with the chuunin guarding the village gates."

Itachi nodded distractedly. He hadn't heard a word Sasuke had said.

"Itachi?" Sasuke called worriedly. "Is there something on your mind?"

Itachi sighed. "Yeah, actually, there is. I... I need you to do something for me."

"Sure, of course."

"Well, it's more like I want you to promise me something."

"Go on."

The elder Uchiha wrung the shoulder strap of his bag between his hands as he began, "If, by any chance... I shouldn't make it back after this battle—"

"No way, nuh-uh," Sasuke quickly cut in, "Don't you _dare_ start talking like that. It's that kind of thinking that'll bring down the morale of the teams. You are going to come back, I swear it. So don't even say something like—"

"Sasuke," Itachi interrupted, returning the favor.

"... Yeah?"

"Shut up for a second and let me finish." He waited for Sasuke to reluctantly snap his mouth shut and then started again. "In the event that I don't make it back—" he shushed his little brother before he could be interrupted again— "I want you to promise me that you'll take care of Sakura. Give her all of the happiness she deserves."

"That's your job. It'll mean nothing coming from me because I don't—"

"Have any emotional attachment to her whatsoever," Itachi finished, "I know. I know that you don't love her, that you barely even like her. But you have to do this. You have to promise this. For me, Sasuke, promise it for me."

"But wouldn't Naruto be better suited for this? I mean, he cares about her a lot. He's told me so many times about how she's like a sister to him."

"Perhaps it's my selfishness that's making me ask you this," Itachi said on a sigh, "Naruto once adored Sakura, isn't that right? I suppose I should want nothing more than for her to move on in the event of my death, but... I want her to love me."

"It's not selfish," the younger Uchiha corrected.

"Just... please," the elder returned to the subject at hand, "Please, just take care of her. Make sure she doesn't try to do anything stupid. Knowing her, she'll go all vengeful and try to kill the Akatsuki on her own."

There was a long pause and then Sasuke sighed in relent. "Well, Naruto would hate me forever if I turned you down on this one, so I guess I've got no choice."

Itachi chuckled. "That man has you wrapped around his little finger."

"He's my best friend," Sasuke stated, a wistful tone in his voice, "The friend I adored so much that I couldn't stand the thought of killing him. I guess... my feelings toward him could be compared quite nicely to your feelings for Sakura."

"Yes, I guess we both have fallen for the stubborn-type, haven't we?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yes, we have. And that's why we both have to come back."

Itachi nodded, turned toward the door and headed off. "Let's go."

* * *

A/N: Please refrain from throwing pointy objects at me. For those of you who don't like yaoi (or just aren't SasuNaru fans) I am truly sorry. I am really a diehard yaoi fan and have been recently getting up the nerve to actually write yaoi!

And this is only the beginning; one-sided SauNaru ala Sasuke! XD Dun dun dunnnnnnnnn!

Anyway, I bet you're wondering just what Itachi is planning for Sakura, but I'm not gonna say! Because the whole not-knowing thing adds to the mystery!

So, please review and I'll be sure to update after my birthday! ... Oh, and wish me luck on my first hangover, too!


	7. What Could Go Wrong?

A/N: Well, it turns out I'm a lightweight! I had three glasses of wine and then I was down for the count! -.-" And I woke up this morning with a headache, too! TT-TT But, because I am such a nice person, I have decided the brave through the hangover and give you the next chapter! XD

Ooh, and thank you all for the wonderful reviews and the beautiful wishes for a Happy Birthday! They really made me smile! X3

* * *

When Sakura awoke, it was to an odd feeling twisting and turning at the back of her mind. It was a familiar, niggling feeling that wasn't quite uncomfortable per se, but was definitely close to it. She was pretty sure that people called them their Hinkey feelings, that suspicion that something wasn't quite right. But still... this feeling somehow went beyond that. She wondered if she was coming down with a head cold.

Before she had a chance to examine the feeling any more, however, her cell phone came to loud, musical life, disturbing the not-so-peaceful silence of the room. She sighed and reached over to silence the loud contraption, placing it to her ear and greeting, "Morning, Shishou."

"How'd you know it was me?" the Godaime asked on the other end of the line, sounding a bit distracted.

"Ring tone set specifically for your number."

"Oh. Well, were you sleeping?"

"Just woke up, actually."

"Good, because your mission begins in an hour."

"Mission," Sakura murmured thoughtfully to herself, trying to remember just what her mission was. When it finally came back to her, her eyes widened and she sat up, exclaiming, "Mission! Itachi?!" She looked to her side to find that the other half of the bed was currently unoccupied.

"I'm afraid he already left," Tsunade informed her as the pink-haired kunoichi tried to decipher what this all meant. "All of the squads have moved out and there are full platoons stationed around both the Fire country and Konoha borders. Itachi, of course, is leading the latter."

"He left?" she asked incredulously, "Without even saying goodbye?"

"I had been under the assumption that he had said his goodbyes to you. But I suppose it would be very difficult and he chose to let you sleep to avoid the pain."

"Well, yeah... that makes sense." _But still..._

"Why don't you go grab something to eat, take a shower, clean yourself up, and meet me at the infirmary? I have a couple jobs that'll keep you busy and take your mind off of that."

"Alright," Sakura agreed before hanging up. But instead of doing as Tsunade suggested, she sighed and fell back into the bed, closing her eyes. So Itachi had left, huh? He was now out there preparing for war. And he hadn't even said goodbye.

Had she slept through it all? Well, now that she thought about it, she didn't remember making it to bed last night and yet, here she was, in her bed. Actually, she didn't even remember drifiting off to sleep last night. She was pretty sure she'd been wide awake when she spoke to Itachi, but she'd somehow managed to fall asleep without even realizing it. This little bit of information worried her quite a bit, but she didn't dwell on it for much longer. She had to get ready to leave, anyway.

So, she got up, made herself a quick omelette, hopped in the shower and then changed into her medic uniform. Once she was ready to leave, she made sure to fully dismiss both Itachi and her peculiar sleeping patterns from her thoughts so that she could focus on work. She walked out the door and headed to the infirmary.

It didn't take long for her to get to the infirmary and it took even less time to track down Tsunade. All she had to do was look in the blond's office and there she was, her face twisted with concentration and the tip of her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she scratched a lottery ticket. Judging from the pile of already-scratched ones, Sakura guessed it wouldn't be safe to assume that this was the reason she sounded so distracted over the phone.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, asking dryly, "What are you doing, Shishou?"

"Predicting the outcome of this war," the Hokage answered, not looking up from the ticket she was scratching.

Of course.

Then, Tsunade stopped her scratching, set down the coin she had been using and sat up to make her prediction. "Huh... I won. Again."

Sakura froze. That wasn't good. Definitely a bad omen. If, by 'again' she meant that she had won on any of those other tickets, then something bad was definitely afoot.

"But all I seem to have racked up overall is a few bucks and a bunch of free tickets, so it can't be _that_ bad, but still..."

"Something bad will happen," Sakura finished where her shishou had trailed off.

"Well!" Tsunade exclaimed with forced cheerfulness, "Back to work now! No rest for the weary when we have a w—... when there's work to do!" Apparently, saying the word 'war' after this omen had been revealed was a bad idea in Tsunade's eyes. Either that, or she was trying to keep Sakura's mind away from the fact that her lover was fighting in said war. "Come along, Sakura, we've got beds to make!"

Sakura gave a martyred sigh and followed.

* * *

There are a total of four platoons out here," Itachi explained as he and his teams ran through the forest, "Five squads to a platoon and ten men to a squad. That's two hundred shinobi on the homefront alone, all spread out in a circle to act as a barrier to the village. There are an extra five hundred shinobi guarding the areas around the Fire country border, again, all in a circle to act as a human barrier.

"That's seven hundred shinobi fighting against eight, making the odds an average of eighty-seven-point-five to one in our favor."

Sasuke nodded his agreement for the concensus.

"And, no matter how tough a front Pein has built up to keep his pride as the leader of the Akatsuki, even he realizes this disadvantage. He will avoid any needless fighting and will try to use my chakra signature to single me out in the fray and get me. Again, because of the large number of our shinobi, that will be difficult. Nonetheless, however, if anybody is able to accomplish such a thing, it's the Akatsuki.

"So, keep on your toes, people, and do exactly as I say. I'm going to get us through this and then we'll all go home to our families as heroes for putting a stop to this terrorism."

All of the shinobi punched a fist in the air and sounded their confidence of victory as they all sped up to get to their posts.

So many shinobi against so few. What could go wrong?

* * *

A/N: Yes, what _could_ go wrong? We'll be exploring that issue next chapter, so stay tuned! XD


	8. The Akatsuki Moves In

A/N: Annnnnd Kisame returns! Hoor—*receives tomato in the face*... Hoo—*and another one* ... Okay, okay, he's one of the bad guys, but st—*another one*... e.e" I think I'm going to keep quiet now.

* * *

"They're trying to throw us off," Kisame commented, sounding both offended and amused at the same time. "Hundreds of different chakra signatures and only one is the signature we want. I'll give them ten points for cleverness but minus twenty for merit."

"We are lucky," White Zetsu stated, "That we are in Konoha territory. "So many trees, so many hiding places. So many ways to spy."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Itachi's former partner replied, "Why don't you just tell me where Uchiha and Little Girlie are so I can tell Leader-sama, plant-boy?"

The black side of Zetsu let out a sort of hiss of irritation, but answered, "The girl is not there. She must be inside the village. Uchiha is at the inside circle, right in the middle of the groups. They think that, with him surrounded by other signatures we cannot find him. How wrong they are."

Kisame brought the radio to his mouth and said, "We've got his position, Leader-sama. What would you like us to do about it?"

"Hold your positions," Pein answered, "We will meet you within the hour and then we'll go over the plans. Do not move from your place lest you want to suffer a fate not unlike that of Uchiha's and Haruno's, you hear me?"

"Sure thing." When he pocketed his radio again, Kisame sighed. "Leader-sama sure has become an even harder hard-ass lately. Looks like Itachi's not going to be spared with a quick death this time."

"Pein has never been lenient," Zetsu agreed, "But he does seem much angrier as of late."

"Ah, well, once we have Itachi and the girlie, everything will be fine again."

"Right."

And so they sat back and waited for the rest of their group to show up so that they could get the party started.

* * *

"Deidara is the only one who can take to the skies," Pein stated, twirling a senbon needle between his fingers, "So, it stands to reason that he should head after Itachi while we distract the shinobi on the frontlines."

"Should we send any others with him?" Konan asked, leaning against the trunk of a tree, her arms folded over her chest.

"No. Knowing Deidara, he'll find a way to keep any of the other shinobi from getting in the way."

"And this time," Deidara finally pitched in, patting the full bag of clay at his hip, "I won't make the mistake I made at Suna and underestimate my target, hm. I'm going to enjoy turning Itachi into a beautiful picture of ephemeral art... before I blow him to pieces, that is."

"Just make sure the job gets done. I don't want any loose ends left behind," Pein said impatiently, "We can always go back for Haruno, but, right now, Uchiha is our target. Kill him at all cost."

"Right, hm."

"Alright," Pein finally said, hopping off the tree branch he'd been perched on, "Let's go to Hoshigaki and Zetsu, get Uchiha's position from them and then we'll begin." With that final command, everybody took off running.

* * *

Tsunade had been sitting at her desk contemplating the impending doom the winning lottery tickets promised when the phone rang.

"Yes," she said into the phone, really only half-listening as she continued to inspect the cards as though they would contain the answer, "What is it?"

"Patching you through to Hataka Kakashi-san, Ma'am."

"Hn," she grunted her acknowldgement.

"It's the Akatsuki, Hokage-sama," she heard Kakashi come through the line, his grim voice capturing her complete attention. That and the fact that he hadn't even spared a moment to give her a greeting told her that something bad was afoot. "We've received word that they're on the move."

"On their way here?" she asked.

"They've already been spotted, Ma'am," the Copy-Nin corrected, "Not far from the shinobi on the frontline. It would seem that they're rushing out of the forest, tossing around some weapons and then going back into the trees."

"... That means they know that our men have been given orders not to break the formation." Tsunade sighed with irritation. "Alright, well, have the men keep on their toes, make sure that none of the Akatsuki manages to break through, alright?"

"Understood."

"And Hatake?"

"Ma'am?"

"Make sure you give those sons-of-bitches a run for their money. I'm getting rather tired of their little games."

She heard Kakashi chuckle and there was amusement in his voice as he replied, "Consider it done, Milady."

And then the connection ended.

Tsunade looked down at the lottery tickets. "Mobility. Well, that's one advantage they have." She set one card to the side. "I wonder what other tricks those bastards have tucked up their sleeves? I'd say about six scratch tickets' worth."

The phone rang again.

"Yes?" she asked with slightly less patience.

This time it was Shizune. She said, "We've got a slight issue here, Milady. All but two of our medics have disappeared. They're gone!"

"What do you mean, gone? Are you sure they're not just off somewhere?"

"I had a bunch of genin search the hospital and there's no trace of them. They just seem to have vanished right out of thin air."

Tsunade let out another growl and placed another lottery ticket with the first. "Stay there and keep an eye out. I'll be right there."

_I guess I shouldn't be surprised, _she thought as she rushed out of the room, _The Akatsuki never does anything half-assed and that would include going into war. I just hope we can beat them at their own game._

And, with that, she jumped over the stair railing and plummeted down the stairwell, wasting no time in getting to the first floor. When she landed, she didn't waste a single second, only kept on rushing toward Shizune.

_Itachi had better not get himself killed or Sakura will have my head!_

* * *

A/N: *sigh* I think Tsunade may have jinxed him... And, dude, she doesn't care about Itachi at all! He's risking his life for her village and she's all like, "If he dies, I'm screwed"... Now, if _I_ were Hokage, then Itachi would have all the love he desires! From me! X3


	9. Itachi's Death

A/N: Yay! Just went out for some drinks and now I'm ready to upload the next chapter!

* * *

"Come in, Hatake," Itachi spoke through his headset, "What is your status, over?"

"Busy, over," Kakashi's voice gasped through the static-filled connection. In the background, Itachi could barely make out the sounds of shouting and commands to keep back and stay in position. It certainly hadn't taken the Akatsuki long to move in.

"Would you like me to call in for some reinforcements, over?"

"No, not yet, over."

"Is there anything at all we can do? Everything seems fine over here, so I'm sure we could help in some way since there's nothing to do, over."

"Just keep your positions for now," Kakashi answered, "This formation is the best chance we have at success, so just keep it up and then take necessary action if the opportunity arises. All eight shinobi appear to be here, though their clones are coming out in droves, so I can't be entirely sure if any of them are missing. Keep your guards up. Over and out."

Itachi sighed, taking his hand away from the Intercom button on his headset. He had hoped that there would be something he could do to help, but Kakashi wanted none of it.

"What should we do?" Sasuke asked, leaning casually against a tree, tossing a kunai in the air, letting it twirl a couple times before catching it and then repeating the process.

"We stay here," the elder Uchiha answered firmly, "We'll find out the result sooner or later."

"Sir," one of the ANBU hollered, sounding tense, "There's something coming at us from the sky. It appears to be a large bird, but I've never seen or heard of this particular breed before. It has no feathers."

Itachi froze in place a moment before rushing over to the speaker. He took the binoculars and took a look at the bird. "Well, Sasuke," he said with an irritated sigh, "It looks like we've got our answer."

Sasuke cursed and caught the kunai while it was still twirling in mid-air. He took out an exploding note and tied it to the kunai.

"Don't," Itachi commanded sternly, "Remember what I told you."

"Make their weakness my strength?"

"And what's Deidara's jutsu?"

"Explosions."

"Exactly. So, an exploding note would only serve to strengthen the explosion."

"Then what—"

Sasuke had to stop as the giant bird flew overhead and stopped about twenty feet above them, using its massive wings to keep it suspended in the air. "Uchiha Itachi!" Deidara shouted down.

"Right here!" Itachi hollered in reply. "You want me, come and get me!" He turned to his men to explain the plan, "Deidara's weakness is close-range combat, so what we need to do is get onto that bird.

"You know, hm," Deidara chuckled, "I never thought I'd be sent out to kill you and I'm not entirely keen on the idea of being swept up by those eyes of yours. So why don't you send everybody away so I can just kill you, hm?"

_Not this time._ "Thanks, but no thanks."

"C'mon, be a good sport, hm!"

"Jump on my mark," Itachi ordered. He lowered himself to the ground in a crouch, pointed the first two fingers of his right hand over his right shoulder to signal everybody to get ready and then pointed at the bird. All at once, everybody jumped and landed on the clay bird, all of them in a circle to surround the blond-haired male.

Deidara looked at the shinobi intruders with faint irritation and sighed, saying, "What a bother, hm. I can't say I wasn't expecting it or that I hadn't prepared for it, but it's still a pain in the ass." But he smirked as he shoved his hands into the opposite sleeves of his cloak. "But no matter, hm." He whipped his arms out, several tiny clay spiders flying in every direction but Itachi's. "Now you all get to be a part of the masterpiece that will soon be Konoha, hm!"

"Get back!" Itachi shouted, pushing Sasuke off of the bird to keep the clay from connecting onto him.

"Itachi!" Sasuke shouted, his face filled with horror as all the small spiders latched onto his fellow ANBU's faces and then exploded, taking their respective hosts with them.

"Remember your promise, Sasuke!" Itachi commanded, not taking his eyes away from Deidara. "You have to keep her safe! Don't let anybody hurt her!"

Sasuke did a small flip so that he landed feet-first into the green crown of trees. And, just like that, Itachi and Deidara were completely alone.

"Now then, since we have some privacy, let's get on with business, hm," the blond said companionably.

"Again," Itachi said, mirroring Deidara's friendly voice, "Thank you, but I'm going to have to decline." He took a step backward, allowing himself to head first off of the bird...

"Think that'll stop me, hm?!"

... And then the bird swooped down and grabbed him by the arm with its feet, keeping a firm hold on him. Deidara, too, jumped off the bird and freefell. Then, he put his hands together in the seal that would detonate his chakra inside the clay, hollered, "So long, Itachi, my man!" and then the bird exploded with an eardrum-shattering blast and a blindingly bright light.

* * *

A/N: Oh. Good. God. Please. Don't. Kill. Me...


	10. NeverEnding Tragedy

A/N: Okay, I know you're angry at me (understatement-no-jutsu) and I did receive some very frightening threats against my life, but I need you guys to bear with me here, okay? You see, I've had this idea for a very long time and I just happened to decide that it would work for Reverence, so I know what I'm doing and I promise that I'll set everything right... eventually. It just won't be in a way that you'll expect, so, like I said, bear with me. n.n;

* * *

There was the sound of an explosion and then everything stopped. Literally. Although the wind probably should have come rushing in after the explosion, it seemed to do the opposite, it stopped altogether. Every shinobi paused, wondering what had happened and why the Akatsuki wasn't taking the chance to attack while the confsion was getting the better of everybody.

Speaking of the Akatsuki, they all exchanged knowing nods and then all of the clones disappeared in individual plumes of smoke until only the actual members remained, looking like the cats that got the cream.

The scythe-bearing male smirked haughtily and gave a small wave, saying, "Later, losers!" And then they all jumped back into the forests where they'd come from.

"... Should we follow them?" Anko asked, sounding completely dumbfounded. She wasn't sure whether she should be surprised, angry, happy or disappointed and all of the conflicting emotions were making it hard to come upon a decision.

"Nobody moves until I speak with Tsunade-sama," Kakashi answered, changing the frequency on his headset. "Patch me through to Hokage-sama," he told the operator and waited impatiently for the blond Hokage to answer his call.

"Yes," he heard Tsunade's sleepy voice.

"Something's going on," he told her, "There was an explosion and the Akatsuki just suddenly took off."

"Took off?" the blond repeated.

"Yeah, right after the explosion. Should we follow after them or pull back or what? I'm not very sure what just happened here and I don't know what sort of order to give."

"Just stay put for a while. We don't know if they might return or not."

"Right."

"Radio me in if something else happens, understand?"

"I understand, Ma'am."

"Alright."

And then the connection was broken. Kakashi sighed and turned back to the forests. "We stay here until we're certain of what's happening." And, with that, he initiated the horrid waiting game that could cost them their lives.

* * *

"No way..."

Sasuke could only watch in horror as his brother—the man he'd spent over half his life searching for, the man he'd just gotten back—was scooped up by Deidara's bird and then disappeared in the impossibly huge explosion.

"No way," he repeated as his chest began to heave, his knees grew weak, his breath came out in short, ragged gasps and the tears welled in his eyes. He felt the shock and anger and sadness all at once and all he could do was repeat his words over and over again, his voice nothing but a choked sob. "No. No way. No way, no way. No! No! NO!!!" He fell to his knees and tried to look away as the burning remains of the five second battle fell from the sky, but he couldn't manage.

Was it possible that Itachi had actually been killed? How was it that the one man who seemed completely immune to death's tricks could be killed so easily? Wasn't he supposed to be the unstoppable Uchiha? Wasn't he supposed to be stronger than Orochimaru? Wasn't he supposed to get through everything?!

"ITACHI!" Sasuke shouted as the last of his dwindling self-control left him and he ran onto the scene to search for any remains of his fallen brother.

* * *

Naruto was so _bored_! Every time he radioed in the squads to check their status, he heard the sounds of war and he wished he was a part of it. He wanted to be out there, helping to make a difference in the world!

"Stupid Baa-chan," he grumbled bitterly, "Leaving me with all the boring jobs. Doesn't she know this is chuunin work?" He would have continued on with his little rant, but the sounds of rustling caught his attention and his frustration was all but forgotten. He narrowed his eyes to see into the darkness and what he saw would haunt his nightmares for years to come.

The figure was quite obviously Sasuke and that eased his suspicions, but it was the way Sasuke_ looked_ that frightened him so much. He had splotches of blood all over him, including on his face, tears were falling from his eyes quicker than they could roll down his cheeks and his shoulders were shaking with his very audible sobs. In his arms he held an arm. Not _his_ arm. And there was no body attached to it.

"Jesus!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping from his post and rushing over to a very distraught Sasuke.

"I just... just... got... him... back!" Sasuke cried between sobs, "I just got him back, Naruto! Now he's gone!"

Naruto looked down at the arm to see that it was completely black, charred from when it was (Naruto could only assume) lit on fire and then left to burn. He had thought it had just been the shadows playing tricks on him. Apparently not.

"Is... that... Itachi's arm?"

Sasuke nodded, going into another fit of sobs as he clutched the arm to him.

Naruto cursed and pressed the Intercom on his headset, "Kakashi, status."

"The Akatsuki just ran off," Kakashi said.

"They _ran off_?" Naruto had to wince when that question made Sasuke's sobs increase to near-wails.

"There was this huge explosion in the forest and, when they heard it, the clones disappeared and the Akatsuki ran off."

"Shit," Naruto grumbled.

"I spoke to Tsunade-sama already and she said to stay where we are until we figure out what happened and what it means."

"Don't worry, I think I already know."

"What hap—"

Naruto cut him off by adjusting the frequency on his headset and had the operator patch him through to Tsunade. When the blond finally came through, he said, "Baa-chan, we're going to need some medic-nin at the border, pronto."

"Why? What's going on?"

Naruto sighed, took a deep breath in and then started, "Sasuke's a mess, Itachi's dead and apparently armless and Sakura-chan's probably going to go on a murderous rampage when she finds out, now how about that medic?"

Tsunade didn't reply, but there was a team of medics there in a matter of moments; a few of them to take Sasuke away and the rest go out and collect the dead.

"God, everything's going to shit again," Naruto groaned as he watched his friend get hauled away.

When would this ever end?

* * *

A/N: Sigh... Sasuke's gone crazy... I think that means it's time for some SasuNaru lovin'! XD ... Bad timing? Yeah...


	11. Is It Possible?

A/N: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Happy *blank* for any other religious holidays I've either forgotten or don't know about and, for those out there who are like me and are Atheist, Merry Presents' Day!

And, as my holiday present to you, another early update!

* * *

Sakura felt weird. She felt as though she was burning up and her head was pounding so hard it was nearly impossible to withstand. She kept on hearing Itachi's voice in her head, murmuring things that held a meaning she couldn't decipher.

"_You will be okay," _his voice in her mind told her, _"You will be fine. Sasuke will take care of you. But, for now, my Exodus will keep you safe."_

_Exodus? What's Exodus? Isn't that the name of a part of the Bible?_

She didn't have long to think on that—not that she could with the pain making it difficult to just keep her eyes open—because Shizune had begun to speak to her.

"Bedpan duty," Tsunade's first apprentice spat contemptuously, dunking her hands into the sudsy water to pull out a freshly-cleaned pan, "Tsunade-sama really likes to make us suffer, doesn't she?

"Well, she's put Genin on the search for the missing medic-nin and there doesn't seem to be any issues going on with the civilians, so we don't really have much to do," Sakura replied, forcing a sympathetic smile to her face even though it just sharpened the pain in her head. It hurt to try and be happy. ... Was this a premonition of something bad? "I mean, we're lucky that these were just dusty and not... well... _really_ dirty."

Shizune chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Sakura sighed and placed another bedpan on the rack of newly-cleaned ones. "The only real problem with this job is how boring it is. I mean, there's nothing particularly thrilling about bedpans."

"Very true."

"Sakura," Tsunade called, her icy voice making Sakura freeze in place. Even the voices in her head silenced themselves after the blond's cold greeting.

She slowly turned to look at her shishou, her brow knitting together when she saw the pallid complexion and glassy eyes. Tsunade, for the first time Sakura had ever seen, looked to be on the verge of tears and the battle the blond was waging to fight against them seemed to be proving futile. "Sh-Shishou...?" Sakura asked reluctantly, biting her lower lip with concern. "Is there a problem? What's wrong?"

The blond jerked her head in the other direction, saying, "Let's take a walk, okay? I have..." She had to take a moment to pull in a deep breath and calm her emotions, "I have something I need to tell you."

Sakura could literally feel her blood draining from her face and the icy daggers pressed against her heart. Her breathing picked up, an outward sign of the panic she was suddenly feeling. The voices hadn't come back, but the pounding in her head intensified and she knew... she knew. She shakily turned to Shizune, nodded a silent "I'll be right back" and then walked forward to follow the Hokage.

"What's... going on?" she asked quietly, staring at Tsunade's back. "Did something happen?"

Tsunade stopped walking, but didn't turn to face her student. She could only bow her head and tell her, "I'm probably the last person you'd want to hear this from, Sakura, but... but... I-I just... Sasuke can't..."

Tears finally escaped her eyes and Sakura was certain of what had happened. Tsunade's reluctance to say anything told her everything she needed to know, but still... she had to hear the words. "Shishou? ... Where's itachi."

Silence.

"_Please_, tell me."

Silence. Silence. "I think you already know where he is."

Sakura choked back a sob and shook her head. Her face twisted in misery as she said, "I need you to say it! I won't be able to believe it until I hear the words for myself. So, please, just say it. Just throw it at me. Please!"

"Itachi is..."

"Say it!"

"He's dead!" Tsunade shouted, whirling around to show the tears rolling down her cheeks, "The Akatsuki killed him and now Sasuke is so far out of control of himself that I don't think we can bring him back! The Akatsuki got what they wanted and it only cost every shinobi in the village's happiness. The Akatsuki has won."

It hurt. It hurt so much. Sakura had thought that, since she already knew what Tsunade was going to say, it wouldn't hurt anymore to hear the words spoken out loud, but... those daggers that had been poking and prodding at her heart finally stopped playing around and stabbed in with so much force that she couldn't breathe. The pounding in her head quickened, intensified, mirroring the painfully-fast rhythm of her heart and Sakura still couldn't breath.

All she could hear, even though she could tell by the movement of Tsunade's lips that she was explaining what had happened, was the sound of that voice in her head, saying, _"That's right. Itachi is dead, he's gone and he's never coming back. It's all your fault, too. It's all your fault because you didn't fight to be one of the medics sent out to the battlefield. If you had, you would be with him and, even if you wouldn't have been able to save him, you'd at least be able to die at his side. Now, all you have is me. All you have is Hell. All you have is Exodus."_

"Exo... dus..." Sakura murmured like a curse and she fell to her knees and then face first onto the floor. "Welcome to... Exodus... your living Hell."

And then Sakura knew no more.

* * *

"Itachi!" Sasuke screamed, fighting against the hands holding him down. "Let me go! I need to get to Itachi! I have to find his body! He needs a proper funeral! I need to find him! Let me go so I can get my brother!" He screamed the last word with so much pain and misery that it broke Naruto's heart.

This was horrible. Why would somebody do this to Sasuke? How could the Akatsuki just take away the one person that meant the most to his two best friends? How could anybody, even a terrorist, be so cruel?

"Naruto!" Sasuke cried, his voice going hoarse and his voice breaking with sobs, "Naruto, let me go! Please, I'm begging you! I need him! Please! I need Itachi!"

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Naruto whispered, holding onto Sasuke's ankles tighter, trying to keep him down, "I'm so sorry."

Then, Tsunade walked in, her eyes red from the tears in her eyes and her face ashen. She took one look at Sasuke and sighed, going over to him and directing chakra to her fore and middle fingers of her right hand. She placed them on Sasuke's forehead and within moments, the man's sobs and cries were subsiding until he lay unconscious on the hospital bed.

"What did you—"

"He's not dead, if that's what you're wondering," the blond told Naruto, folding her arms over her ample chest.I just made him go to sleep. I have enough of a headache."

"And Sakura-chan...?"

"She's in the room next door, she took the news better than I'd expected, but... I hadn't expected her to go unconscious."

"Is she okay?"

"I never found anything wrong with her except for a tiny amount of Itachi's chakra in her brain, but I doubt that has any relevance."

"_Itachi's_chakra?" Naruto asked, "Do you think it could be the same jutsu Orochimaru used on her?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, I highly doubt that. Remember? Orochimaru's chakra became useless after he died, so Itachi's chakra would have disappeared also. He probably just did it so that he could know where she was at all times, so that he could keep her safe."

Naruto nodded his head, unconvinced. _I wonder if it's possible that...?_

* * *

A/N: Another good thing about this present!


	12. Backwards

A/N: I hadn't been planning on updating today, lol, but my better nature got in the way. n.n; So, enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Sakura hadn't realized that she'd woken from her sleep until her mind finally registered the white ceiling above her and she realized that her eyes were open. She didn't know how long she'd been lying like that, only that it had to have been a while. Her eyes hurt.

She blinked a few times to bring moisture back to her eyes and then she let in a deep breath of oxygen, hoping that it would clear her mind of all the negativity that clouded it. It didn't.

She had been swept up in those voices taunting her, telling her about how Itachi's death was her fault and how she could never go back to that happy life. And then, poof, she realized that her eyes were open and she was staring sightlessly upward.

"Itachi..." she whispered his name, remembering all of the times she'd had with him, from meeting him in Pein's office to watching him sleep in the forest to eating with him and talking. That time he'd swept her up in his Mangekyou and showed her the truth in her past, when they'd faked their deaths, going off to Waves, living a peaceful civilian life with him if only for a short while. He'd left her, but then he came back to her. And then all this time she'd spent with him in Konoha...

"Itachi..." she repeated, wondering if this could be real, wondering if Itachi really wouldn't come for her this time.

"_Exodus will keep you safe," _that horrid voice reminded her and she shook her head.

How could a stupid voice in her head keep her safe? How could a voice in her head ever replace that feeling of completeness that Itachi had put inside her? It couldn't... because it was just a voice.

"Sakura-... chan?"

She turned to see Naruto sitting at her bedside, holding her hand in both of his. She didn't even bother to try and force a smile; she knew there was no point. Why should she even pretend to act happy at this point?

"Naruto," she murmured.

He nodded. "I'm here."

"Itachi... he's dead, you know," she informed the blond even though he most likely already knew. "Shishou told me he died in the battle."

Again, Naruto nodded. "I know."

"Does Sasuke-kun know?"

Tears welled in his eyes at the question and, one more time, he nodded. "Yeah, he knows. He was the one that... that saw it happen."

"And...?"

"He didn't take it as well as you seem to be."

"I'm still in denial, I'm pretty sure I'll be going through those Steps for when something major happens because I've never really been in Denial before. I'll probably go into depression in an hour or so." She was oddly talkative. She wondered if it was the pain that made her feel compelled to voice her sad thoughts. "But it's not like it'll matter, anyway, Itachi's gone and Sasuke is probably insane with misery."

When the blond winced, Sakura wondered how close to home she'd hit, but she didn't voice it as he tried to assure her, "It'll be okay. Sasuke's just sleeping now, so maybe things will get better when he wakes up."

"No, Naruto... things will never get better again."

"But—"

"I'm sorry, but I just know it. If Itachi really is dead, then my spirit has died along with him."

"But you can't just—"

"Naruto," she whispered, "If... if you're going to try to make me feel better, can you please just stop? Because I don't want it. I don't want to feel better right now."

"Let her grieve," the two heard that familiar voice and they both turned to see that Tsunade was standing in the hospital room doorway, her arms wrapped around her and a look of weariness on her young-looking face. "She needs this. If she gets the emotions out sooner, then she can begin the recovery."

"But shouldn't we comfort her?"

"Of course, but we also need to give her the space she needs in order for her to come to terms with her loss and then deal with it. Our empty assurances of everything turning out alright in the end will so her no good."

"But—"

"Of course, there's no better way to come to terms with a death than to hold a funeral. So, I've scheduled one for two days from now. It'll be a ceremony for all the shinobi lost during the fight."

More people had been lost? Tears welled in Sakura's eyes at the realization that it hadn't just been herself who had faced the loss of loved ones. How many sons and daughters, parents, cousins, siblings and lovers had been lost to the Akatsuki? How many people would go to that ceremony with tears in their eyes to celebrate the lives of those who had been taken from this world far too soon?

Too many.

Naruto used the knuckle of his forefinger to brush away her tears and then turned to Tsunade, glaring. He stood from his seat and walked out of the room, the blond Hokage following.

XOXO

"What if Itachi isn't really dead?" Naruto asked, "What if he's out there? You're just going to make her lose all hope so soon?"

"He is dead, Naruto," Tsunade informed him, "We checked every body that turned up and none of them were missing a right arm. Itachi's body never showed up, but don't you think that he would come back here if he was able to."

"What if he's not able to? What if he's out there injured, dying?"

"We sent out search parties to find any dead or any survivors. Itachi wasn't in either category. He's gone."

"Okay, so, even if he is, can't we at least try to make Sakura-chan feel better?"

"You can try, but it'll just wind up irritating her when it doesn't work. Trust me on this, Naruto, the only thing that can bring up her spirits is the one thing that's out of reach and that's Itachi. He's gone and everybody has to deal with it."

Naruto sighed and shook his head, rubbing his forehead. Nothing made sense anymore. Seemingly invincible people were dead, unhappy people were not allowed being comforted and men the blond had thought were hated were actually missed. Everything was just wrong!

And then Sasuke started screaming in the other room and both Naruto and Tsunade winced. It looked like it was time for another dose of chakra for the last remaining Uchiha.

Naruto followed the woman into the room to help comfort the distraught young man inside.

And seemingly unbreakable men were brought to their knees with misery. Nothing made sense. All Naruto knew was that he wanted things back to the way they were, the days with the Dobe, the Teme, the always-late sensei and the young girl whose life had only just begun. He wanted things back to when they made sense.

* * *

A/N: Sorry, Naru-chan, but that's just not possible! Why? ... Because then there wouldn't be a story!


	13. A Final Purpose

A/N: This chapter is mainly only to connect the chapter before this one to the events that will take place afterward, so please don't hate me if it sucks. I had to write double-time over my breaks to get this one done. T.T

* * *

Anger, so hot and yet so cold, ran through every one of Sakura's veins as she stood in the crowd, watching the funeral service.

"It's a shame others had to die, but at least that Uchiha traitor is out of here," she heard people murmur. "Why did our people have to die for a bastard like him? It's all that damn Itachi's fault; I don't know what Hokage-sama was thinking, bringing him back here." Every venomous declaration of the people's disdain for a wonderful man like Itachi made Sakura, for the first time since being freed from Orochimaru's grasp, hate them all.

"We can only hope that we can remember all of the happy memories of these people inside our hearts and, in doing so, bring them back to life, if only in spirit."

"And what if some of them aren't dead?"

Everybody turned to look at the blond Kyuubi container with looks ranging from shock to revulsion. How dare he defile the memories of the village's latest martyrs?

"Uchiha Itachi, all that was ever found of him was his arm," Naruto expanded on his vague question, "What happened to his body? It would take a lot of heat to cremate a body and a simple explosion can't generate that much. I did some research."

Tsunade glowered. "Uzumaki Naruto, you disgrace both this village and yourself. How dare you come to a funeral and start speculating about whether the deceased is actually dead or not?"

Naruto shrugged. "Just thought I'd give some food for thought."

"Well, here's some food for thought, if he's not dead, where is he?"

Again, Naruto shrugged. "'Dunno."

"Okay, so, if he's not dead, why did he not return to the one place where he was welcome?" The Hokage smartly ignored the scoffs and whispers of disagreement to the Uchiha's welcome in the village.

Once again, Naruto shrugged. "'Dunno."

"Then how can you come here with no proof of anything and start spouting your little questions that only make it harder for our people to get over the tremendous loss we just faced?"

"Because, if Itachi's alive, he's probably pulling another stupid stunt. Ever since he came to the good side, he's been overdoing it, sacrificing his own happiness time and time again for the betterment of others' lives. Who's to say he's not doing that now?"

Abruptly, Sakura stood, her head bowed, her fists clenched into fists, and she growled, "That's enough, Naruto. I much prefer the thought of him being taken to a better place than for him to be fighting to get back into this... this... this disgusting place."

"Sakura?" Tsunade asked, not hearing what the younger girl had just said, "Do you want to come up here and say a few words for Itachi?"

The pink-haired kunoichi stood completely still for a few long moments before she raised her head to glare defiantly ahead. "Yes." With that, she made her way to the podium, pretending to ignore every look of disdain the people sent her way, but mentally sending them back tenfold.

Tsunade stepped aside so that the younger female could take her place, but stayed close behind. Whether it was for emotional support or to make sure she didn't do anything stupid remained a mystery.

"We are all gathered here today for the collective loss of all the shinobi who died during our fight against the Akatsuki," Sakura began, her words filled with a sadness and anger that she was certain would never go away. "However," she added, "There is one person who is not being mourned, isn't that right?"

"Sakura," Tsunade hissed, "I can understand Naruto's disrespectful behaviour, but you should know better!"

"Eleven years ago," Sakura continued, ignoring her shishou, "This village lost many valuable citizens—shinobi and civilian alike—to the Uchiha massacre and Itachi was bl—"

"Sakura!"

"—amed. What you people don't seem to grasp is that Uchiha Itachi was out there trying to _end_ the killing. He was out there trying to kill the real murderer, Orochimaru. When Orochimaru died, Itachi came back, but you all _still_ blamed him! He tried to help you ungrateful bastards knowing that you all hated him with a passion and how do you repay his sacrifice? By spitting on his memory?!"

Everybody standing before her exchanged knowing looks and Sakura knew what they were all thinking: So says the other traitor. It only served to further her fury.

"All of you scum should have died instead! I don't know why Itachi thought all of you were so bloody important that you were worth dying for, but I sure as Hell know that, if he died for you, he died for _nothing_!"

"Get her away from here!" Tsunade barked, "I was wrong to assume she was ready to face this. Naruto! Take her to the infirmary!"

Naruto rushed over to Sakura, taking her by the shoulders and gently urging her away. As he glared daggers at everybody standing before them, Sakura was much too busy screaming and ranting to fight against him.

_

* * *

_

Dear Journal:

_Itachi is dead and now I'm all alone. Shishou says that I still need time to recover and so I'm stuck in this house filled with memories of a past life that I wish I could have back as I'm forced to write down all of my thoughts in a stupid book until Shishou decides I'm better._

_Naruto visits me, but his priority is—and always has been for that matter—Sasuke-kun's well-being. Shishou calls every day to check up on me and see if I'm dead or not, but that's where my contact with the outside world ends. As I said, I'm all alone._

_And yet... this thing that calls itself Exodus... I can feel it inside me. There are two different parts of it, battling for control over the other and, ultimately, over me. But usually, the side that wins the wars waged inside my head is the one that wants to comfort me. Despite some of the cruel things it says, it still does its best to make me feel as though Itachi is here with me. If only it could grant me that wish._

_Unfortunately, however, no matter how hard Naruto tries to convince me and how hard I try to believe him, I just can't stop all of the doubts in my mind. And, when the other side of Exodus prevails... I have many cuts and bruises from those times._

_And so, because of my never-ending doubt, my inability to trust anybody in this village except for a select few and what seems to be the deterioration of my mental state, I have learned what it is I must do. I must destroy the Akatsuki, finish what Itachi started and then make the ultimate sacrifice for him that he made for me._

_The Akatsuki will fall and then I will go to meet Itachi in the depths of Hell. And then all of this pain, all of the memories, all of the hardships we have had to endure will be over. We truly will be together forever._

—_End Journal—_

* * *

A/N: ... Please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me!


	14. Brother and Sister

A/N: Next chapter! Thanks for all the reviews!

* * *

"How is he?" Sakura asked worriedly, "Is he going to be okay?"

"He's definitely calmed down," Naruto said on a sigh, running a finger along the rim of his teacup, "But we're not sure yet whether is just him trying to trick us into believing he's better so that the hospital will let him go or if he's actually improving, so we have him under constant supervision, just in case. Any way we look at it, though, we have to admit that, although he does seem very depressed, we're able to allow him to be conscious without him either going into a tantrum or trying to kill himself."

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded her understanding. It had been almost unbearably difficult for her to force a smile while in the presence of others after she had come to terms with what she needed to do and so she could understand how Sasuke was feeling. They had both lost somebody very precious to them.

"He wants to see you."

"Me?" she asked incredulously.

Naruto nodded. "He told me that he wanted to talk to you in private, that it was very important. I asked Baa-chan and she said that, as long as I escort you to and from the hospital, it'll be fine."

"... Right now?"

The blond nodded. "He's waiting."

_Don't go, _the nicer side of Exodus whispered softly, _This can only lead to problems. Don't go see him yet. Not yet._

Sakura bit her lower lip and stood, reluctantly allowing Naruto to lead her to the hospital and then to the room Sasuke was in. Once there, he left her to take her time.

Her hand reached out to take the doorknob, but she paused before she could come in contact with the cold metal. She hadn't seen Sasuke at all since before he'd left for battle and she was scared of finding out how seeing his only brother killed had changed him.

Eventually, she took a deep breath in and let it out on an inaudible sigh. She walked into the room and closed the door behind herself.

Sasuke was in hospital-issued clothing, lying over the white bed linen, his eyes gazing sightlessly up at the ceiling. By the dazed look in his eyes, Sakura assumed he was in the room in body, but not in mind.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" she called tentatively, slowly walking further into the room and sitting down in the chair beside the bed.

His eyes moved to look at her through his peripherals, but the rest of him remained motionless. He gave no other indication that he had acknowledged her presence.

"Naruto said... you wanted to see me?"

"Yes," he whispered softly, his eyes moving back to study the ceiling.

She nodded. "Okay."

They stayed in silence for a long time, Sakura sitting in her chair, going between examining Sasuke to studying the room while Sasuke continued to stare above him.

Just as Sakura was beginning to believe that nothing was going to be said, Sasuke opened his mouth and spoke. "We just got him back," he told her, "And they took him from us."

She closed her eyed in a feeble, yet somehow successful, attempt at blocking the tears' escape. "I know."

"He was the only family I had left in this world... but now he's gone. He was your one and only lover... but now he's gone."

_This isn't making things any easier. _

"And now we're all alone in the world."

Sakura opened her eyes and, even though she'd been thinking that herself not long before, shook her head. "No, you have Naruto. You have—"

"Yes, I _do_ have Naruto, but for how long? How long will the Akatsuki _let_ me have him? Seeing Itachi die made me realize something, if the Akatsuki could take Itachi down so easily, Naruto doesn't stand a chance. Soon, they'll come here, take Naruto and kill him... and there isn't a single thing he'll be able to do about it. And then I'll be completely alone."

"What's your point? Why are you telling me all this?"

Sasuke remained silent a moment, then asked, "You want it, don't you? Revenge?"

Sakura's heart skipped a beat and that odd feeling she had come to know as Exodus kicked up, pounding furiously in her head. She knew that it wanted her to say no, she even felt compelled to do so, but she only winced from the pain and gave her true answer, "Yes."

"I want it, too. I also want to keep Naruto safe. So I see no other option. You and me, brother and sister, together we have to destroy the Akatsuki. Even if it costs us our lives, the Akatsuki will fall."

"Yes," Sakura agreed, "You and me, brother and sister."

"We will leave tomorrow night."

"Alright."

"And Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"If we should die and you find Itachi in the afterlife, tell him that I'm sorry for breaking the promise I made him, okay? Will you tell him that for me?"

Sakura was a bit confused by this, wondering what sort of promise Itachi had asked of Sasuke, but she nodded anyway and said, "Okay."

The sole-remaining Uchiha nodded in return and said sadly, "He... he deserved a girl like you."

At that, Sakura could no longer keep back the tears. They rolled down her cheeks like small rivers, but she didn't mind in the least... because Sasuke was crying, too.

* * *

A/N: Let's all pretend Madara doesn't exist for right now so that Sasuke can be the only Uchiha left, okay? I prefer Tobi much more that Madara, anyway! X3 The next chapter is going to mainly focus on some other people and then have a little bit of Sasuke and Sakura going off on their own closer to the end. So, please review and Ill update when I can!


	15. A Job Well Done

A/N: Here I am, in my room, munching on some cookies (taking home the broken cookies is the best part of working in a bakery X3) and updating Reverence! Huzzah! Sorry it's kind of suck-ish, but I'm a bit blocked.

* * *

For the first time in a very, very long time, Pein actually smiled. When Deidara came to the base with a very proud smile on his face and the confirmation that Itachi was dead, the Akatsuki leader had immediately pulled the blond into his office so that they could talk in private.

"You're certain he's dead?" the orange-headed man asked, sitting back in his chair and eying Deidara with nothing short of complete admiration.

"Yup," the blond answered with a nod of his head, "The Uchiha tried to escape, so I blew him up, hm. I found his body in the forest a ways away from the battlefield... guess I overdid it with the explosives on this one... and he was missing an arm. Must've been ripped off or something, hm. I checked for a pulse and there was one, it was faint though. So I left him there to die, hm."

"_Left_ him there to die?" Pein asked, his eyes narrowing momentarily, before he checked himself. "How far away from the scene was he?"

"A good few miles. Far enough away that, even if somebody did find him, they'd be too far away from help to save him, hm. He was definitely a goner with how badly he was bleeding."

Pein sighed, smiling softly. "And our spies will take care of the rest. If the Uchiha returns to the village, they've been ordered to take charge of healing him and kill him."

"Your spies can do that, hm?" the blond asked with interest.

"Of course. My spies are a good ninety percent of the village's medical corps. Of course, they're all still in the forests, searching for Itachi's body and have been given express orders to hand him over to us. There's no way that I'll allow him to get away from me this time, so, dead or alive, I will deal with his body."

Then, there was a knock on the office door and Pein scowled at the intrusion."What is it?" he asked impatiently.

Konan let herself in and said, "We just got a report from our last spy remaining inside the village and it appears that both Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke have disappeared without a single trace. The village believes they're out to settle the score."

The Akatsuki leader quirked a brow at the news. You mean they're headed here to avenge Itachi, don't you? Well then, allow them entrance. Make it easy for them to find with place while you're at it. I think a good old-fashioned battle would be fun and a nice way to celebrate Itachi's death."

"Kisame wishes to assist you."

Pein sighed."Of course he does. He's so infatuated with that girl that he can't help but want to kill her. He's always been quite childish in expressing his feelings."

The blue-haired missing-nin nodded her acknowledgement of her orders and then went off to carry them out, leaving Deidara and Pein alone once again.

"Everything is working out wonderfully," Pein said cheerily, "And so, rest assured, once I have both Uchihas and Haruno and their bodies are rotting in the cellar while their heads are staked in our training grounds for target practise, your success will be rewarded."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Clear the base. I don't want anybody to interfere. I suppose that, considering his success in capturing Itachi last time, I'll reward him by having the Haruno wench, but nobody else may stay here. Stay close by for back up, but that's it."

"Right, hm." And the blond left to carry out his orders.

Pein was getting a great deal of action lately. He supposed he should probably thank Haruno Sakura for that, but the moment the thought was in his head, he mentally stabbed it and buried it as deep down as he possibly could. No... Haruno Sakura would be the first to die. He would make sure of that.

* * *

Tsunade sighed as she mulled everything over a cup of tea. "I can't help but wonder if the Akatsuki planned everything to turn out this way. First, we lose all of our medic-nin except for Sakura, you and me, then Itachi dies and then Sasuke and Sakura disappear. It's as though everything is just falling into the Akatsuki's hands and I can't stand it!"

"Well, if this all turned out according to their plan," Shizune said, sitting in a chair, gently petting Ton-Ton's head, "It would have taken a lot of personality profiling on their part. They would have to know that Itachi would risk himself for Sasuke and that Sakura and Sasuke would be craving their blood afterward. It sounds like the plan would rely solely around a lot of good luck."

"Yes," the blond agreed, "But I know for a fact that good fortune can only last so long. I just hope that the Akatsuki's well of good fortune dries up soon."

"And what about the medic-nin?"

Tsunade sighed. "We still haven't received any word on their status. We can only assume that they were Akatsuki spies and are now on a mission. And that's why their good luck must end and it must end soon. Because we now have no medic-nin to fall back on in case of an attack. If people get hurt, there's no way just the two of us could handle it on our own."

"Okay, so what's our game plan?"

"I'm going to allow Sasuke and Sakura to attempt this act of avenging and I won't even bother to try and stop it. When they come back—_if_ they come back—we'll do everything we can to keep them with us. Pein was right, those two now have very little to no ties to this village and so it would be easy for them to just leave. We need them on our side."

"And how do you intend to go about this?"

"Set up a monument in Itachi's name. Have him revered as a hero. The entire village will acknowledge and be grateful for his sacrifice and, hopefully, that will be enough to keep them with us.

* * *

A/N: Now _that's_ relying on luck!


	16. Exodus Revealed

A/N: I'm sorry for the really slow update! TT-TT

* * *

"I recognize that chakra signature," Sakura said grimly as she and Sasuke traveled through the trees at full speed. "It's undoubtedly Pein's."

"If we know that they're close-by, they should already know that we're on our way," Sasuke commented, "Think it's a trap?"

"Probably," the kunoichi answered on a sigh, "But it's the only thing we have to go on, so we'll have to take that risk and go in. Otherwise we could lose the opportunity and we'd be screwed."

"Right."

And so the two picked up their pace.

"_Turn back, Sakura. There's no reason for you to put yourself in danger like this. Just go home and forget all this foolishness about revenge and move on with your life."_

_Of course there's a reason, _Sakura mentally disagreed, _In order for me to be with Itachi again, I have to go to where he is and I might as well take that worthless piece of skin with me. Why should Pein get to live while Itachi dies?_

"_But, Sakura, I—"_

She cut Exodus off right there. "We're almost there," she told Sasuke.

"I'd expected Akatsuki to find a new base since we found their old one, but I never imagined they'd make it so close to Konoha. We haven't even been travelling for two days."

"Well, Konoha _was_ their target."

"Found it," Sasuke stated, pushing through the trees into a break in the forest, caused by a river separating both sides. "But it was way too easy. Where are all the diversions they're so famous for?"

Sakura pointed to a large waterfall. "I think that's enough of a diversion. Who would think that the Akatsuki would choose to live in a cave behind a waterfall? Not many people would. It's about as good as the cottage and the cave from before."

"Well..." Sasuke murmured with a sigh and took Sakura's hand in his own. "This is it. For Itachi?"

"For Itachi."

"_Sasuke, you asshole!!!"_

Sakura blinked in surprise. Somehow, Exodus had sounded oddly like Itachi just then. She shrugged it off as her mind playing tricks on her, but it still managed to ignite a dull ache in her chest and a feeling of homesickness.

She had told Itachi after she'd woken from Orochimaru's control that her home was wherever Itachi was and now, she realized that it was much more truthful than she'd first imagined it to be. Itachi truly was her home.

She missed him unimaginably... but she would be with him again soon.

* * *

"_Sakura, it's not too late to turn around. You need to leave this place right now before you get hurt."_

_But it is too late, _Sakura corrected, _Even if I wanted to, I couldn't turn my back on what it is I have to do. Itachi deserves to have his dying wish realized and, since Itachi is the only one I had and he's dead now, I have no fears or reluctance about death. It's up to me now._

"_But, Sakura, I'm not—" _Exodus stopped, his voice fading away into silence. Then, it said urgently, desperately, _"Sakura, you need to get out of here. Run! Now! Before it's too late!"_

Sakura may have actually followed the barked command if she'd been able to, but, before she could react, something large and hard came in contact with the back of her head. There was a horrible cracking sound and she wondered if it was her skull breaking that had caused it.

A flash of light brought a more literal meaning to the phrase "Knock your lights out" and then she felt herself fall. The last thing she knew was her body hitting the cold ground and then somebody tugging on her arm violently, dragging her down the hall. Then, she heard Exodus' voice shout, _"Sakura! I'm coming!"_

Then, she gave herself to the light.

* * *

Sakura had always known that, with unconsciousness, came darkness. So, why did she stand suspended in midair, surrounded by a blinding brightness? Where was she? What kind of dream was this?

"Welcome to the world of Exodus," she heard an all-too-familiar voice and she gasped as Itachi materialized before her, looking just as he had the last time she'd seen him, "Sakura."

"Itachi," she breathed, tears welling in her eyes. She quickly swiped them away when they began to blur her vision though; she wanted to be able to see him. "How are you...? Where are...? Am I...? Why...?" She had no idea which question she should ask first. "Where are we?" she asked when she finally made up her mind.

"This place can be wherever, whenever, whatever you wish it to be. It is yours and yours alone, my gift to you. My own way of keeping you safe. Thus is the power of Exodus."

"I... think it's about time somebody told me what Exodus is."

"But you already know, Sakura, you've experienced it before."

"I... have?"

Itachi nodded, smiling warmly. "Think back to the days of when you were under Orochimaru's control. The jutsu he used..."

"Exodus is... a jutsu?" Okay, Sakura probably shouldn't have been so surprised, but she couldn't help it. "But Orochimaru is dead. How could he still—"

"It's true that Orochimaru's jutsu still affects you, but it was my chakra that activated it once again. I hadn't expected that to happen when I performed the jutsu, but I suppose I should have considered the possibility of Orochimaru's chakra flawing my plan."

"You did the jutsu?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest. When could Itachi have possibly placed the jutsu on her? She didn't remember ever—that day! The day when she'd fallen asleep without any memories of doing so! So, that was it? But that still didn't answer one very important question. "Then how is your chakra still affecting me?"

Itachi smirked. "All of your questions will be answered in due time, but right now you must return to your own body. All you have to do is trust in me and the power of Exodus and no permanent harm will come to you. I will be there very soon."

What? But how—"

But it was too late. The light she'd been bathed in was fading, taking Itachi with it. The last thing she heard before she awoke was Itachi's whispered words, "I love you" and then her eyes opened.

"She healed quickly," a raspy voice commented with a chuckle, "Guess I should've expected that from a top-notch medic."

_That voice..._

And then Kisame's voice appeared in her vision, blocking her view of the stone ceiling and his toothy grin caused her to shudder with disgust. How she hated this guy.

"Well, hey there, little girlie!" Kisame exclaimed, "Long time no see, did'ja miss me?"

"Sure, like a cat misses the vet."

Kisame laughed heartily and then turned to Pein. "She's ready, I think."

Pein came up beside Kisame, smirking hatefully. "Haruno Sakura... you've caused me more trouble than your miserable life is worth, so I'm going to make you pay me back. Your screams of agony will be payment enough."

Sakura's jaw quivered, but she fought to stay calm. Have faith in Itachi and the power of Exodus and no permanent harm would come to her. She had to remember that. But, as Pein forced Kisame out of the room, shut then locked the door, and turned to her with a sick smirk on his face, she found it hard to keep those words in her mind.

He had something planned... and she wasn't at all interested in finding out what those plans were.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter is going to be super important, so make sure you keep an eye out for it! ;D


	17. The Resurrection

A/N: I'm ! TT-TT I've been trying to write this chapter for days, but I couldn't seem to fill in the mssing pieces and it's taken me until five minutes ago to finally come up with something!

So, it took so long for me to update... and it's such a short chapter, too! DX

* * *

A man walks—well, more like swaggers—down dark corridors with a very scary determination. His jaw clenches, his hand balls into a fist, his toes curl and his eyes glare straight ahead.

He's in pain, though he'd never let on, but he can endure it—he _has_ to endure it. This has to end. This has to finally end! After years, there will finally be a conclusion to all of this pain and heartbreak. Finally, he will be able to rest.

He walks faster, going into a lazy sort of run, but unable to go any faster than this. He growls with frustration and determination and then stops before a door. He can hear voices on the other side, but he's not sure if it's who he's looking for. Who knows how many people are holding captive?

He directs chakra to his ear to make it sensitive to noise and listens in. A girl chokes back a sob and a man chuckles. "Good, good. Now let it all out! I want to hear you scream!"

The man outside the door grits his teeth as his temper boils over the edge. These are definitely the people he's looking for. He shouted, "SAKURA!!!" and kicked the door open only to glare into the surprised faces.

He smirked at them and fell into stance.

* * *

Sasuke groaned at the intense pain all over his body. Where was he? All he remembered was Sakura making a weird grunting noise before pain exploded in his head. Now, he was in darkness with absolutely no hint as to where he was.

Then, a raspy chuckled echoed through the darkness and Sasuke grit his teeth. He wasn't alone.

He tried to move but found that he'd been hogtied. He growled and asked, "Where's Sakura?"

That same chuckle again. "Leader-sama is dealing with her."

_Shit... _

"You know, you're beginning to look a lot like your dead brother," Kisame commented from the endless shadows, "And I never got my chance to kill him last time we had him. Maybe I should use you as a replacement?"

"You can try," Sasuke growled, "I doubt you'll have much luck, though."

A mighty kick hit his stomach with enough force to make Sasuke lose all the air in his lungs and he retched a little bit, coughing. He had to gasp for breath and, as he did so, he realized that his hands had been tied together, wrists pressed against each other.

He paused only a moment before beginning to sputter again. He had to play the weak card. This could possibly be the only thing he had in his favor, so he had to keep it hidden.

But he was no capable of doing hand signs and, because of this; he was capable of doing the Escape jutsu.

He leaned his forehead on the floor to hide his smirk.

* * *

"It's such a pity that Itachi is dead," Pein mused, actually seeming more amused than regretful, "You would truly be a very magnificent torture tool against him."

"How?" Sakura asked, her brow furrowing as her wrists pulled against the chains binding her wrists together. "I would never hurt him. Especially not through your will."

"Oh, but you could," he corrected, "Can you not imagine the pain on his face as he's chained to the wall, forced to watch as I claim me as my own again and again? Can't you see him cringe as you cry out in both misery and ecstasy? You can't see the tears as I break you in body, mind and spirit?"

Sakura's jaw trembled and she started pulling a little more forcefully on the chains. If she had been scared before, she was terrified now. She had come here looking for revenge and a quick death, an easy way to go to Itachi... but it didn't seem that either of those two things would be happening. This was going to be horrible.

After quickly making sure that the chains holding his prisoner fast were still holding strong, Pein placed one hand on the flat of Sakura's belly, sneaking his hand under her shirt to move upward. His fingers were like daggers of ice, his touch hard and without hesitation. When his hands reached her breasts, he smirked like the cat that got the cream, his eyes gleaming with wickedness as he touched her with those cold, angry, evil hands.

"Let me go," she hissed.

He dug his fingernails into the soft flesh of her breasts and she cried out. "I don't want to hear words, I want to hear cries. I want to hear your misery."

"You're insane!"

"Aren't we all? Don't we all have a bit of crazy in us?" Apparently his hands had grown tired of toying with the breasts and so they moved away from the teacup-sized mounds of flesh and danced their way downward.

Sakura had to choke back a sob.

"Good, good," Pein urged, smiling in a much-too-crazy way, "Now let it all out! I want to hear you scream!"

"SAKURA!!!"

Both Pein and Sakura froze at the sound of that exclamation and then they stared in disbelief as the door was kicked open. There, in the doorway, stood a very frightening creature. The shape of the creature was most assuredly human, but its skin was so disfigured. Half of its face was covered in rough burns, the skin looking as though it had melted and then dried in a very gruesome-looking way. Its eyes glowed red and, by the shape, it seemed to be missing an arm.

"Sakura," the creature hissed, the sound much too familiar, "I'm going to get you out of here."

"Who—"

"So," Pein interrupted, "You're alive, huh? ... Itachi?"

* * *

A/N: And it's repetitive... and it changes PIV a lot... and it's a cliffie! DX WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA! *sob*


	18. The Final Battle

A/N: I'm on time this time! XDD This chapter was much easier to write than the couple before it... do I see a light at the end of the tunnel? Yay!

Anyway, I guess you can consider this chapter the climax... but there are still a couple chapters left after this one. The one after this will be explaining Exodus and the things that happened throughout the story with a little more depth and there will definitely be some humor in there. I guess that's good since pretty much this entire story has just been one long emo spasm... hooray for comic relief!

* * *

"I-I... Itachi?" Sakura stammered, "It... can't be." Tears welled in Sakura's eyes as she stared into that ugly, disfigured face. Could Itachi really be under there? Was it possible that this creature, this thing, was really her Itachi? No way...

"I'm warning you right now," the creature who was apparently Itachi growled, neither affirming nor denying Pein's deduction, "Let her go right now and I'll take it easy on you. I'm pissed off as it is."

It _sounded_ like Itachi...

Pein chuckled. "Like you could do any serious damage to me in your current condition? Don't make me laugh! Those burns have to be very painful and, by the looks of it, you lost one of your arms. You won't even be able to perform seals let alone use a jutsu."

Itachi glared harder, his eyes never moving from Pein.

"_Sakura," _she heard his soft, soothing voice inside her head and she had to bite back a gasp of surprise, _"I have a plan. Please trust me on this."_

_How can I trust you? _she mentally asked, _All this time you've had this connection with me and you never thought to tell me that you were alive? I've been on this suicide mission because you were gone and you just let it all happen?_

"_I can explain," _Itachi replied in her head, _"But this is neither the time nor the place to do so. So, please, trust me and I can get us out of here."_

_But—_

"_Sakura!" _Itachi hissed desperately, _"Please, just let me save us!"_

Of course, Sakura felt herself relaxing under the sound of his voice and, even if she'd tried, she wouldn't have been able to distrust him. _What's your plan?_

"_I need your strength."_

_... Okay._

And then Sakura felt a sort of pressure at the back of her head where that feeling that was now called Exodus resided and she could literally feel Itachi push her consciousness aside to make room for his own. When that pressure ceased, Sakura found that it was like she was now a fly on the wall, watching as Itachi and Pein quibbled and her body moved without her willing it to. It was like she was seeing through her own eyes, but her senses were detached from her actual body.

Her body moved while Pein continued to converse with Itachi, her hands picking up the chains bounding her and, leaving a wide length between her hands, she began forward.

_Be careful, Itachi, _she warned, _He might notice._

"_I know."_

Her steps were slow and a little clumsy—it was to be expected, it was probably like driving a car with a remote—but she managed to take them silently. So far, it seemed that Pein hadn't noticed her movement.

"... manage to survive Deidara's attack?" Pein queried, Sakura only beginning to listen in on the conversation half-way through the question.

"I made a promise that I would return home," Itachi answered, "I never break my word. Even if it means unimaginable pain, endless suffering and losing half my face and an arm, I had to return home or else... something like this would happen."

And then Sakura lunged, wrapping the chain around Pein's neck and pulling it tight. Pein seemed to have anticipated the attack because he didn't make a single sound of surprise and his hands immediately began groping the air behind his shoulders, searching for her.

"_Hold onto him tightly," _Itachi mentally told Sakura.

_Yeah, yeah, yeah..._

And so Sakura's body tightening the hold of the chain around Pein's neck and started moving backward, until both their bodies were pressed against the stone wall.

Itachi moved in immediately, walking forward while Sakura connected the chains to one of the links attached to the wall that was meant for locking prisoners to the wall, making sure it was tight enough that Pein wouldn't be able to breathe.

She held his hands and stepped on his feet to keep him still as Itachi walked forward, his Mangekyou glowing in the dim light from the cracked-open door.

Pein roared furiously and tried to struggle, but Sakura wasn't budging. When Itachi was close enough, Sakura ducked out of the way, still keeping her hold on Pein's arms and legs, and Itachi reached out with his one arm to force one of the Akatsuki leader's eyes open.

"Goodbye, Pein-sama," Itachi whispered as the Tsukuyomi activated, pulling Pein away to another world.

Sakura's body was given back to her and she didn't waste any time with adjusting to her weight again, but punched Pein in the gut to wind him. Then, she reached over, unsheathed the katana attached to Itachi's waist and ran Pein through with it.

There was a disgusting _schlurp_ sound when she pulled the weapon back and Pein let out a grunt of surprised Pein. Sakura relinquished her hold on him and his body went slack against the chain holding his neck. There was an ugly snap in his neck and Sakura nodded.

That'd kill him.

Itachi let out a sigh and massaged his eyes. He teetered on his feet before he fell to his knees, panting with exhaustion. "It's... It's finally over."

Sakura nodded, but she didn't believe it. No, this was far from over. Itachi still had a lot of explaining, they had to find Sasuke, and—

There were loud crashing sounds from the other side of the wall, followed by a howl of either pain or rage—but most likely both—and then one more crash, this one louder than the ones before it. Sasuke walked into the cell, clapping imaginary dust from his hands as he said, "Kisame is dealt with... who do we have here?" He nodded toward the nearly unconscious man in the middle of the floor as he asked this.

"Sasuke..." Itachi whispered breathlessly, looking over his shoulder at his younger brother, "You... asshole..." And then he collapsed.

Sasuke blinked with surprise for a few moments before he quirked a brow, saying, "Nice to see you, too, Bro, thought you were dead. Guess you didn't need avenging after all, huh?"

But Itachi was already unconscious and couldn't answer.

"And he calls _me_ an asshole," Sasuke grumbled with a shake of his head, "He could've at least dropped an, 'I'm alive, by the way' card or something before turning us into avengers."

Sakura nodded her agreement, but she went to the man she loved, turning him over so that she could inspect the wounds. They were even uglier up close than they had been from afar and she cringed at the sight. But it did look healable. All that would be left when she was through would be redness, like sunburn that didn't go away. Unfortunately, the missing arm was hopeless, but she'd at least be able to heal the sever wound so that it wouldn't cause so much pain.

She shook her head and closed her eyes. There was a lot of work ahead.

* * *

A/N: Lol, Sasuke's an asshole... what a nice way for his supposed-to-be-dead brother to greet him, ne?

And I'm sorry that the battle wasn't ver exciting... you guys probably already know how bad I am with fighting scenes, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise... ^^;


	19. Motives Explained

A/N: Second-last chapter! Yayz!

* * *

Sasuke hefted Itachi over his shoulder and stood. Sakura had placed some chakra to Itachi's brain in order to keep him unconscious through the journey home and so he didn't have to worry about delicacy.

Sakura poked her head through the doorway of the cell and looked both ways, tensing.

"What is it?" Sasuke whispered.

"We have company," the kunoichi answered.

Sasuke froze and focused his hearing to find that there was a set of footsteps making their way down the hallway. He cursed under his breath and pressed himself against the wall with Sakura in an attempt to remain undetected.

"That's no use," a female voice said, walking into the cell, "I already knew you were here... I see you killed Pein." The woman didn't seem particularly concerned with this fact.

"Who are you?" Sakura demanded.

"But you met me before, Haruno Sakura," the woman replied, "Konan, Pein's partner."

A vision of that plain, vaguely pretty woman from all that time ago flashed into Sakura's mind and she remembered. The day she and Itachi had faked their deaths and headed to Waves. "What do you want?" she asked shakily.

Konan shrugged. "Just wanted to see how the fight had ended."

"And now...?"

"I've seen," she answered with a shrug.

"I mean what are you going to do with us now that we've killed Pein?"

"Nothing."

"_Nothing_?"

"That's right, nothing. To tell you the truth, Pein hadn't been a very good leader lately. Of course, that's your and Itachi's fault, but oh, well, what's done is done. Anyway, he spent all of his time plotting how to get his revenge on you both and completely disregarded our organization's actual business. Neither he nor Kisame with be missed. They were the only ones actually interested in getting you."

"So... there will be no consequences?"

Konan pursed her lips a moment and then nodded. "I could smack you around a bit, but I don't really feel like it. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

She didn't have to tell Sakura and Sasuke twice!

XOXO

Itachi had grown accustomed to the endless pain that came with his injuries and he'd even been able to act as though he wasn't in constant agony. So, what was this numbing warmth spreading through his body and how was it taking his pain away little by little?

Was he dying?

"Don't be stupid! I won't let you get off that easy!"

Oops, had he been thinking aloud?

His eyes fluttered open and he looked up at the white ceiling with bemusement. Where was he?

"Welcome back to the world of the living," he heard somebody from beside him say dryly and he looked over to stare blearily into Sakura's face. She was pale, her eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed, her hair was a ratty mess and her clothes were disgusting, but... she was alive.

"Sakura..." he breathed weakly, "You're okay..."

"You were worried about _me_?" Sakura asked incredulously, "You should stop thinking about me and start taking more responsibility for your own damn self!"

Itachi winced. Was she deliberately being loud to punish him? It was definitely something she would do.

"But... I'm glad you're alive," she whispered, bowing her head to hide her tears. "I... was so lonely without you."

He smiled weakly and reached a hand out to her. She took it and squeezed it and he nodded. "Me, too."

She looked at him again and, as quickly as it had appeared, that desperate look dissolved into anger. "If you were so damn lonely, why didn't you come back? Why didn't you say something? What was the point of giving me Exodus if you couldn't use it to let me know you were okay?"

Itachi looked away. "I couldn't."

"Because you had to kill the Akatsuki?"

No answer.

"By yourself?" The bitterness in that question broke Itachi's heart.

"I needed you to believe that I was dead, also, because of the spies in Konoha. If they noticed you acting unusually cheery or not very sad, they would know that something was up and they would figure out I survived. I needed everybody to believe I was dead."

"Oh, yeah?" Sakura queried through clenched teeth, "And did your promise to me mean nothing? What happened to promising you would never leave me again? What happened to relying on our allies and on each other to defeat the Akatsuki? Where does 'Fake my death and go on a suicide mission' fit into that plan?!"

"It wasn't like I went to war with the full intention of faking my death. I almost got blown up and Deidara figured I'd die on my own, so he left me. I survived, so it wasn't like I was going to make it obvious that I'd survived. That would have been stupid."

"I don't care if—"

"Alright, that's enough, guys," Tsunade said, "It's time to start healing."

Sakura's eyes narrowed on Itachi.

"You... are going to heal him, right, Sakura?" Tsunade asked reluctantly.

"Of course," Sakura answered impatiently. "On one condition."

"... What is it?" Itachi asked reluctantly.

"If you go off and do something stupid like this one more time, I get to hunt you down and kill you myself."

Itachi gulped and nodded. Knowing Sakura, she definitely meant that. "Deal," he whispered and meant that, also.

Sakura nodded, appeased and began working on the burns first. "Why don't you tell me about Exodus now?" she asked.

"What's left to tell?" Itachi asked, "Orochimaru only knew the mere basics: the taking control of the victim's body, reading their minds and putting thoughts in their heads. I copied the jutsu, perfected it and this was the only time I used it. I was, also, the one to name it."

"Why Exodus?"

"It means Exit. The jutsu basically forces the victim to lose control of their own conscious mind and give that control to the user. In a way, their minds are 'exiting' their bodies. Exodus."

"That's lame."

Itachi shrugged. "It sounded cool."

* * *

A/N: Sorry, it's really chatty... T-T


	20. Epilogue

A/N: Short chapter... but it's mainly a wrap-up chapter, so I don't think that's a very big issue.

* * *

"I hate you!"

"I love you!"

"I'll kill you!"

"I can't live without you!"

So many contradictions... so many hateful words spoken out of rage and so many words spoken out of so much love that the trueness of the statements could never be presented through spoken word. While it's true that these star-crossed lovers had faced many trials, many hardships and had, on more than one occasion, nearly reached their breaking point, they still managed to prevail in the end.

But this wouldn't have happened without an extreme amount of luck. It takes more than just love and some elbow grease to defeat terrorists and they never would have made it through had they not had some luck on their side.

But it's a moot point now because this story had a happy ending. Their love did prove to conquer their hardships and they were allowed to go to their home with no more worries for the future.

However, there was one loose end that needed tying up...

"So, how are they?" Naruto asked, walking down the street with his hands shoved in his pockets. "Will they be alright?"

"All's fine," Sasuke answered. "The birthing went off without a hitch... though Sakura did threaten to kill Itachi for putting her in that position."

Naruto laughed. "I hope her violence doesn't rub off on her kids."

"I'm sure Itachi will keep them sane."

Naruto sighed, staring up at the sky. "Twins... their names are Reina and Ritsu, right? I wonder if Itachi and Sakura will let them go to the academy when they come upon the proper age. I mean, Itachi ended up being forced from being a shinobi because of his lost arm and Sakura retired to stay by his side, so... do you think their kids will be allowed to be shinobi?"

"Only time will tell, I suppose," the younger Uchiha answered. "We'll have to wait and see when they reach that age."

"Hey, Naruto! Sasuke!" Sakura called, waving an arm over her head while she used the other one to cradle a bundled-up baby. "Morning!"

Itachi chuckled, nodding his greeting, his one arm being used to hold the other baby.

"Is it okay for you to be up and walking already?" Sasuke asked worriedly, snatching the baby from Itachi before he could drop it. He cradled the baby in his arms and smiled down at his nephew.

"It's fine," Sakura said with a roll of her eyes, "Shishou said to wait a couple days and I waited a couple days. I got restless! Itachi wouldn't let me out of bed!"

"Itachi!" Sasuke hissed, "Shouldn't that wait until she's healed?!"

Itachi blushed and Sakura giggled. "Not because of _that_!"

Naruto chuckled and slapped Sasuke on the back. "Hey, Teme, you're going to make some girl a great husband!"

Sasuke blushed and looked to Itachi and Sakura who flashed him knowing grins. Leave it to Itachi to tell his wife about his younger brother's biggest secret... Sasuke blushed even more and turned on Naruto. "Don't hit me while I'm holding a baby, Dobe! And don't use such foul language! If my niece and nephew grow up to have sailor mouths, I'm blaming you!"

"But you just said dobe, Teme!" Naruto whined.

Sakura and Itachi laughed, the elder Uchiha, taking his baby as the two walked off.

"Think they'll get together someday?" Sakura asked, placing her pointer finger to Reina's lips and letting the baby take the digit into her mouth to suck on it.

Itachi sighed and answered, "Never know. I'm sure they'd have a fighting chance if Sasuke would just get up the nerve to confess. I'll be Naruto would like him just as much. I mean, from what I hear, he spent those years training with Jiraiya-sama mainly on getting strong enough to get Sasuke back."

Sakura nodded. "That's true."

"Besides," Itachi added, smirking, "We defied all the odds and there were a lot more than just forbidden love."

Sakura smiled. "We did, didn't we?"

Itachi stared up at the sky. "I wonder how that rower is doing now."

Sakura giggled. "Probably singing another customer one of his Songs of the Sea."

"Perhaps we should take Reina and Ritsu to Waves to see how they got their names?"

"Maybe we should... and take Naruto and Sasuke along. Feel like doing some matchmaking?"

"I'm up for it. Nothing like a tone-deaf rower, a rusty old apartment and homicidal beds to get the love flowing."

"It worked for us, so why wouldn't it work for them?"

* * *

A/N: Yay for hiatuses! ... Not the best way of broaching the subject, huh? Oh, well! I am being absolutely serious now. I've pretty much been posting and updating regularly (if not here then on that collab story I did with CandyLava) since I got back from that loooooooooong break a little over six months ago.

You remember when I went into the hospital? Well, that's around the time I began writing Remembrance and I never stopped... until now. Being a very sequential story, ending in one story and picking up where it left off in the next, it was really hard to connect everything together and now I'm afraid I'm absolutely mentally exhausted. Of course, I intend to continue writing during my break, you just won't see anything from me because I like consistency in updating and, as you've seen, I haven't been very consistent because of this block.

So, yeah... thanks to all of my reviewers and readers! It was fun writing this series and I promise my break won't be a long one! No more than a month, I'm sure!

Love you lots! And, till next time,

Itachilova... OUT!


End file.
